Well, I think when people say "the most important thing is to keep an open mind" what they are referring to is don't be surprised when things go wrong, when things are terrible, when you can't help but think WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?
I have been feeling kind of out-of-sorts this week. I wasn't feeling well on Monday, and then spent a long day in the office on Tuesday. I had one of those days on Wednesday. I flew to Istanbul in the afternoon because I needed to meet with my boss and team on Thursday. My flight was delayed, so I ended up landing in Istanbul late. For some reason in Istanbul, the lines for passport control are always really long. This was my 3rd trip here, and everytime it has been the same. But this time, people were trying to cut and shove past me. My backpack is really big, and people were touching it, which drags me down (literally). We're all in this line and I wasn't feeling generous about letting people go by me. Wait your turn!
I finally get through passport control and get my bag. I find my transportation and am being driven through rush hour traffic to my hotel, which is on the Asian side of Istanbul. Two hours (yes - 2 hours!) later, the guy is dropping me off at a hotel that has a different name than the hotel that I thought I was staying. You know the saying "trust your instincts"? Well, I should have. I asked the driver if this was the right hotel, showing him the name of the hotel that I had written down. He says "oh, that is the old name of this hotel". Ok. So I pay him and get out and go to check in. They can't find me in the system. Guess what? It is the wrong hotel. I have no Turkish money to get a cab, but the front desk guy is nice enough to call the hotel car and have them drive me (for free) to the correct hotel. Whew! Good thing I kept an open mind:).
Luckily Thursday was a bit better. I had a great day talking and working with the Istanbul team. It is so nice to have a team and not be alone in the office! I had a 2 hour meeting with my manager in the hotel lobby from 6-8pm. It was not good. But it is always helpful to get a different perspective. And getting a different perspective is one of the reasons why I took a job halfway around the world.
The day ended well with coffee in a restaurant near the Marmara Sea. Even though it is winter and it is dark so I couldn't actually see the sea, it was nice being near the it. So keeping an open mind is a good thing, even when things don't turn out the way you want...especially when things don't turn out the way you want.
And finally, after a long post with no pictures, here is one for you. It's a hazy picture of bridge of Bosporus from my first trip to Istanbul in August. Europe on the left, Asia on the right. I got to spend my first nights in Asia on Wednesday night! Here's to keeping an open mind...Serefe!
Thanks for sharing - my personal intention this week is to not take things personally. That is a challenge for me and I appreciate you taking the time to share your challenges in your new position.
ReplyDeleteHope you get a nice long run in and keep writing you are helping all of us in many ways!!!